Me and my mate are thinking of tackling the mountain soon, for the first time. any tips that some of you guys who have done it before can give us? I read that m@ said he had to wear his socks as gloves to keep his hands warm, even on a relatively nice day, so any other little gems like this (ie bring warm clothes too!) are much appreciated.

Only driving experience up and down Mt Wellington, but also make sure your brakes are functioning well and has plenty of pad left. You'll need them on the way down. And check your tyre pressure and not over-inflate them. Those rims/tyres will get very hot on the descent.

Before you set off, make sure you can actually see Mt. Wellington.
Quite often the top half is in clouds.
It can also be very windy up the top, and you may actually need the extra layers of clothing for the descent, as you will work up quite a sweat on the way up. enjoy the ride.

timbo wrote:Before you set off, make sure you can actually see Mt. Wellington.Quite often the top half is in clouds.It can also be very windy up the top, and you may actually need the extra layers of clothing for the descent, as you will work up quite a sweat on the way up. enjoy the ride.

yeh we're definitely going to be taking extra layers. and probably taking it easy on the way down too.

Like anywhere over 1000m in Tassie, the top of the mountain can be very very cold and windy at any time of year (and regardless of the temperature in Hobart). A windfleece jacket or vest + arm warmers is ideal for when you reach the summit and for the descent. It's also a very good idea to have a showerproof jacket as a minimum. And yeah, gloves... full-length are good for cooler days if at all possible

Another tip is to bring enough food and drink for the ascent; last time I rode up it took me about three hours in total from home; although the distance isn't that great, you'll be going slow, sweating and using a lot of energy. The last thing you want is to bonk 1000m from the summit! I always find that the hardest part is the steep, straight section between the Springs and the Chalet, so tend to take a shortish break at the Springs which gives you a good opportunity to fuel up.

At the end of the day it's not a technically difficult ride; just grueling. As long as you work up to it with shorter steep climbs (eg Fern Tree) leading up to the ride you'll be fine. On the day, just enjoy the ride and the view from the top

Went well; only a few degrees cooler at the top and very still, so the lack of warm clothing wasn't an issue. Have to say I actually enjoyed the ascent more than the descent though; front tyre deflated suddenly soon after leaving the summit (rim tape was askew); after that I was a bit scared to gain speed but equally scared of braking too much. IIRC Nate had similar issues with the rim tape on his Cell Team, so replacing it should see me right in future. Apart from that though, I'd forgotten how rough the road surface is on the way back down

My first big Mtn climb was Mt Wellington about 4 weeks ago. Rode it by myself, on what proved to be a cold showery day (looked ok when I left). It's the first time in a long while where determination to actually get there has played a big part in my completing a ride. I needed to stop about 4 times on the way up, and the showers and 20 knot winds above the Springs made me think continually about pulling out.

Abosultely freezing at the summit and blowing a gale, so no time to stop & take in the view. About 400m down my feet & hands had gone numb and I nearly got blown off my bike by a gust. I'm not sure in this situation whether going fast to get to a warmer altitude is better or to go slower & try to reduce the wind chill? Had to stop at the springs for about 10 mins to get feeling in my limbs back. Anyway, 2hrs up from the Sth Hobart shops and 1/2 hour down.

Are you behind schedule, or slowly winding up for a big finish. 184km achieved at 26 Feb, toward a 2009 goal of 10000km suggests the latter (hopefully). The Mt Wellington challenge wont add much to the total, but should take your mind off hill problems for the rest of the year. How will we identify you on Sunday.

Ive only just gotten back on the bike after a ankle injury. Started riding on 23rd of Feb again. So 184kms from 23rd Feb. I've got a fair way to go.

Ill be wearing my BNA jersey. Ive been riding Springfield and Ripley in West Moonah every second day since 23rd Feb. They are steep!! (129metres ascending) I cant make it up first part of Ripley, it's too steep.

I improved a couple of minutes on last year, but slipped down the list of placings. My impression is that there were more "better" riders this year, and some of last years "lesser " riders did not start this time.

No offence intended to anyone with above comment; anyone who rode to the top did a good job.

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